Why shoot RAW instead of JPEG?

RAW keeps all sensor data. JPEG bakes in white balance and compression. RAW gives you room to fix mistakes and recover detail the JPEG already threw away.

Is Lightroom required?

No. RawTherapee and darktable are free and handle the same sliders. Snapseed opens DNG on mobile. The principles are identical.

Will this make me a colorist?

No. This is correction — making the photo look like the scene. Color grading for mood or cinema is a separate skill.

How big are RAW files?

20–60 MB each depending on sensor. Budget storage accordingly. You don't need to keep every RAW forever — archive selects, delete rejects.

Photography

Edit a RAW Photo in 5 Minutes

White balance, exposure, highlights, clarity, crop, export — done

40 min9 photographed stepsIntermediate

You will import a RAW file, set white balance, correct exposure, recover highlights and shadows, add clarity, crop for composition, and export a JPEG — in five minutes. This is a processing workflow, not color grading for cinema.

What you'll learn

Set white balance from a neutral reference
Correct exposure without clipping highlights or crushing shadows
Use clarity to add midtone punch without over-sharpening
Export a JPEG at the right quality for web or print

Inside this course

Import and assessBefore you touch a slider, understand what the file needs.
Core correctionsFive sliders in order. Don't freelance the sequence.
Clarity and cropMidtone contrast and framing — the finishing moves.
ExportA RAW file you never export is a photo nobody sees.

Full step-by-step lessons with photos unlock with a subscription.

Free preview

First steps from Import and assess

See how every step looks — photo, checklist, and pro tips included.

01Open the file in your editor

In Lightroom, import via File → Import or drag the file in. In RawTherapee or darktable, open the file browser and double-click. Snapseed on mobile can open DNG files directly from your gallery.

Once open, don't touch anything yet. Look at the image. Ask: is it too dark or too bright? Is the color warm or cool compared to what I remember? Is the horizon straight? These three questions set your editing agenda.

Histogram touching the right wall = clipped highlights. RAW can usually recover 1–2 stops.

02Check the histogram

The histogram shows the distribution of tones from black (left) to white (right). If the graph smashes against the right edge, highlights are clipped — you've lost sky or white detail. If it piles on the left, shadows are crushed.

A well-exposed RAW usually has a hump in the middle with tails that don't smash either wall. If yours does clip, you'll fix it in the next steps — RAW has recovery headroom that JPEG does not.

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